Western States Center Condemns Violence in Louisville Shooting

In response to the arrest of Quintez Brown after an attack on a Louisville mayoral candidate, Eric Ward, Executive Director of Western States Center issued the following statement:

“Political violence is never acceptable and does nothing to move us closer to justice. It’s unclear whether Quintez Brown’s attack was a misguided effort to advance his ideology or something entirely irrational, but the effect is the same either way: his actions didn’t just harm innocent individuals, they undermine our collective commitment to democratic institutions.

“And while we still don’t know the details of Brown’s motivation, we can’t ignore that it took place in a context of rising antisemitism that isn’t limited to any particular part of the ideological spectrum. Antisemitism is a toxic conspiracy that fuels other forms of bigotry and leads, inevitably, to violence and destructrion.

“We’re profoundly grateful that no one was physically injured and we’re holding the victims of this attack–and everyone whose sense of security is shaken by this incident–in our thoughts.”

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